Traitor's Forgiveness
by Exiled Adrian
Summary: Oneshot: A Chaos Space Marine has a change of heart about his life decision and surrenders to the Imperium.


Traitor's Forgiveness

The rain poured down onto the battlefield. It had been like that for days now. The battle lines had been drawn long ago. Between here and the hills was No Mans' Land. The sound of gunfire echoed throughout the valley. It was a sound that he had heard for just about his entire life. But that wasn't what he was focusing on. He sat on a tree stump. His archaic bolter laying down on its side with his horned helm beside it.

He thought about his life. He thought about how it had all began so many centuries ago. Back when he was just a young Space Marine, uncorrupted by the Dark Gods. Back then, he had been a fierce and courageous warrior in the World Eater Legion. His Legion had the unsavory reputation of being barbarians when it came to killing outright. Back then, he was reluctant to do it and was often mocked by his fellow World Eaters because of it. Back then, he had been honor-and-duty-bound to serve the Emperor and Mankind by protecting it from all of its enemies. The Great Crusade was at its peak. And he had been a firm believer in the cause until Ullanor.

After the Triumph of Ullanor, the Emperor left the Legions with Horus as Warmaster of the Crusade. At first, there were only friendly rivalries, then it became darker. The rivalries deepened into hatred. Rumors spread of the Emperor being selfish, wanting to forget about his loyal Sons and abandon the Legions. And he had believed it all. He had believed it and turned his anger against that which he had sworn to serve: mankind itself. He remembered the day that his Legion fell and him with it. He remembered fighting against his own brother Space Marines, fellow Astartes, those he would have called 'Battle-brothers'. He remembered fighting at the Imperial Palace on Terra where the battle to decide the Imperium's fate was fought. He had been at the breach, killing Blood Angels, Imperial Fists and others who served the 'False Emperor'.

Then came the death knell of Horus and the terrible retreat. Most of his fellow rebels fled to the Eye of Terror. He had reacted with anger and grief when he learned of his homeworld's fate: Exterminatus. He had sworn to kill those responsible for the deaths of his family and his people. His honor eroded into bloodlust and wanton carnage. He loved killing his enemies. It became a satisfying addiction to seeing the faces of his dead opponents in their last moments of life. It made the dark pact worth it. He would tell himself that he was doing the right thing, but there was always that small voice inside of him saying it wasn't. That voice grew over the years. It would take centuries to realize the impact of what he had done, the carnage he had wrought, and all the grief and pain that he had caused.

It began when his warband had raided a farming world. That night, his squad went into the village and butchered everyone in it. He remembered one event in particular.

XXX

He kicked down the door, yelling his usual obscenities at the 'False Emperor' and his servants. There were screams as he went up the stairs to do his deed. The family of the house gathered in the master bedroom. That was where he had found them. He stood in the doorway, his shadow over the family. He grinned sickeningly. These people had every right to be afraid of him! They had chosen the False Emperor! They were to have been liberated from his tricks! He walked over to them, raising his chainsword high. He looked into their eyes. They shone with fear and sadness. And for some reason, in their place stood his family... the family that he had lost. He froze. Part of his mind told him to finish the act. But the small voice inside of him told him not to.  
_'Is this what your family would have wanted to see you as? A murderer? A traitor? A heretic?' _

He simply froze until a comrade from his squad arrived and killed them all before his eyes. He had done nothing but watch as the family was slaughtered. Their screams were still heard in his dreams. That night, his comrade looked at him dead in the eye.

"What the Warp is the matter with you? You know who these weaklings are! Their blood is to be for the Blood God! Their skulls will be for the Skull Throne! Do your job or your skull will be next!"

XXX

After that night, he would often sit in silence as his comrades rejoiced in the bloodshed. They would drink the blood of their victims and eat their flesh. But he denied himself that 'honor'. The seeds of doubt took root. No matter how hard he tried to suppress them, they could never be silenced.

And now, here he was. Ten thousand years later: a fallen Space Marine.

"Why did I join the Legions?" He muttered. Instantly, he knew why. He had wanted to become a warrior that his father would be proud of. Something that his family would be honored to have. And he had squandered it. He had turned his back on mankind. Sadness and anger tore into his heart as he acknowledged painfully all of his sins and mistakes. All that he had done and failed to do. The question was: How was he to atone for these sins?

He looked out across No Mans' Land. On the other side was a Loyalist Space Marine Chapter. He had heard about the Chaplains in their presence. Would they...? Tears fell down his eyes. He looked at his armor in disgust and glared at it.

"To hell with you!" He roared. He tore it off... all of his armor down to the last plate. He then started walking towards the Imperial lines. He heard his name being called in the distance. He started to quicken his pace. More shouts followed and he began sprinting barefoot across the wasted landscape. He jumped over craters and past wreckages of Imperial and Traitor vehicles. He ran over corpses of the fallen. As he reached the Imperial line, he could see the Space Marines aim their weapons at him. He stopped short of the the makeshift barricade. He panted. Tears ran down his eyes as the Space Marines aimed their boltguns at him.

"I...I wish to speak to your Chaplain," He said.

"Why do you wish to speak to our Company Chaplain, Traitoris?" A Space Marine Sergeant snarled.

"I..I wish to do so to cleanse my conscience and perhaps... atone for my sins." The Space Marines looked at eachother.

"Cleanse your conscience? You have had ten thousand years to cleanse your conscience! You have had millennia to beg the Emperor for forgiveness! Why do you wish to do so now? Are you mocking us?!"

"No! I've realized my mistake-my sins!" He said. He turned to his former comrades in the distance and yelled at the top of his voice.

"I renounce Khorne, Slaanesh, Nurgle, and Tzeentch! They are not my Gods! I renounce them! They are False Gods! They tricked me! And they tricked you too, you stupid bastards! We've been tricked all along!" Tears rapidly fell down his eyes as he turned back to the Space Marines. He fell on his knees.

"All I wanted... was to do something good," He said to them. The Space Marines stood in silence.

"Well?! Aren't you going to kill me?! Do it!" There was nothing but silence.

"Wait here, Traitoris." A Space Marine growled. A few minutes later, a Chaplain appeared over the hill. His face was hidden by the silver skull mask that marked his station.

The Traitor wept.

"What is your name... Traitor?" The chaplain boomed

"Kaansen, Jarl Kaansen, formerly of the World Eaters Legion" The Traitor said, looking up at the Chaplain in his kneeling position.

"You confess your sins to the Emperor?" The Chaplain asked. He nodded.  
"And I renounce the Dark Gods!"

"Why do you confess your sins and not before this moment? Why should the Emperor forgive you in particular, Jarl Kaansen?" The Chaplain asked angrily. He raised his crozius.

"We thought the Emperor betrayed us! We thought that he had abandoned us in a quest for godhood! We thought he didn't care about mankind anymore! I... I believed what they had said!"

"Nonsense and blasphemy! The Emperor has never abandoned humanity! That is the Arch-Traitor's lies that you speak of!"

"Those were the rumors of the day, Chaplain. I know, it was foolish of me to listen to them in the first place... to doubt his vision for mankind... and we messed it up. The Emperor is dead because of us!"

"The Emperor still lives on in spirit, Traitor. You should know that. He may look like a cadaver, but He still lives on and protects us from demons... and men like you that have fallen from grace." The Chaplain said.

"All I wanted to do... was to make my family proud. I wanted to make them all proud!"

"Instead you betrayed the Emperor and humanity! If I recall, the homeworld of each Traitor Legion was given the order of Exterminatus."

"We wanted to do something good. It's taken me centuries to realize my sins. I wish to be forgiven of my sins! All of them! I will do anything to be repented of them! I-I-... I want my life back!" Jarl wept. The Chaplain kneeled down.

"You sincerely repent of your sins and renounce your service to the Ruinous Powers?"

"Yes! Yes!" The Chaplain sighed.

" I do not know if it is in my power for me to forgive you of your sins. I would ask the Emperor Himself for forgiveness. Perhaps then, you may receive His mercy." The Chaplain said. Jarl sniffled.

"What shall you do with me?"

"You are to be turned over to the Inquisition for questioning. Perhaps, they will take pity on you and put you in their service... for as long as it takes of you to rid yourself of your filth."


End file.
